


[R E D A C T E D]

by sprayedwithcrab



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Confusion, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, LITERALLY, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Time Travel, again technically, technically, time reversal, womp womp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-08-22 08:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16594076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sprayedwithcrab/pseuds/sprayedwithcrab
Summary: Peter coughed, ashes and dust falling out of his mouth as he wheezed. Faintly, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Where was he? Why was he here?Peter wakes up in an alternate universe, unaware of what had happened before except that he had died. Oh, and also? It's 2013. He has fun figuring that one out.





	1. Waking Up

A blinding pain overtook his body. He shivered, puzzled. Although, that confusion did not last long- he knew what was going on. He looked down at where his fallen teammates now resided. Fear jolted down his spine, and his arms reached out and held onto the shaking, terrified form of his mentor and he gasped for air, unable to get any. Unending guilt washed over him,  _and if you die, well, I feel like that's on me_ , and he felt his legs give out beneath him. He watched in complete terror as his hands slowly faded in front of him, his healing factor trying so desperately to fix whatever the hell was happening to him. He apologised, immediately choking as his tongue began to fall apart. A scream caught in his disintegrating throat as his entire being was ripped into trillions of tiny, little pieces. Blackness clouded the edge of his vision, and all he could see was those sad eyes of his pseudo-father, watery and filled with desperation. And, suddenly, almost as fast as it started, everything went dark...

* * *

Peter coughed, ashes and dust falling out of his mouth as he wheezed. Very, very faintly, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps. He opened his eyes and allowed his blurry vision to take in the area around him. Looking around, he tried to pinpoint where in the world he actually was. What was he doing here? Unable to figure it out, he rolled over onto his side, regretting the action as soon as a dreadful ache spread throughout his body. He held back a groan, whimpering under his breath. He shut his eyes, only to open them again as a figure leaned over him, worried. The person shook him ( _damn it, it hurts)_ and was sobbing for some reason. Peter summoned what little power he had left, and pushed whoever was holding him away. The motion had him keeling over and sent spiraling into another coughing fit. His vision cleared a bit, and he picked up on voices talking to him.

"P-er? P-ter! C-m d-wn, -'re go-g to hur- -ourself!" His blotchy hearing was not helping his case. The voice was clearly feminine, though. He wondered who it was, because it definitely didn't sound like May, and she happened to know his name. Perhaps it was that mantis lady! Whoever that was... He couldn't seem to recall, just something about a mantis lady. Oh, hold n, the figure was still talking to him.

"Pete-, pl-ase, look at -e. You're g-na -e okay." His hearing was slowly recalibrating. He just had to wait a little bit more. Whoever the figure was, she was holding her hand out to help him up, so he took it. Testing his speech, he slurred out the first thing that came to mind.

"Mis'er S'ar'?" Peter swayed, but the woman helped stabilize him.

"No, honey, it's me, Mom." His hearing was back, but clearly his general processing skills weren't. Because-'Mom'? He hadn't had one of those in years, unless you counted May. 

"...Mom...??" Peter slowly tried the word out, but it didn't feel right. Come to think of it, something about his voice didn't sit right with him, either. He sounded... younger? Which was pretty hard to do, because he sounded pretty young as it was. Especially for a 17 year old. He furrowed his brow, looking down at his hands. They looked smaller, too. What was going on?

"Yes, Peter, it's me. I'm here." his 'mother' pulled him in for a hug.

* * *

He felt pretty disoriented for the rest of the day. He spent most of the day figuring out what had happened to him. As it turns out- he still had his powers, so that was cool. But strange, considering he looked like his body had been reversed about 5 years.

At some point, he stumbled down the stairs, and overheard the woman claiming to be his mother talking about taking him to the hospital to check for brain damage. How preposterous! He was fine. He just wanted to know where he was and what was going on. Hadn't he died? How was he still alive? Peter talked to them and let them know that he was fine, just a little confused. Also, he got a surprised look when he asked for Aunt May.

_"But, honey, I thought you didn't like her? Not that I disagree with this development, it's actually quite good! Just, what changed your mind?"_ Peter had just tilted his head, trying to figure out what was going on. May was like a mother to him! More than this woman, at the very least. How could he hate her? He could never dislike the loving, warm character that was his aunt. She was strong-willed and passionate, and when she loved, she loved hard. She was gentle, but strict at the same time. Altogether, she was just amazing.

Then, that's when his 'father' came home. He was strangely familiar, but in the weirdest way possible. Like, he greatly resembled Uncle Ben. 

Weird.


	2. A Whole New World

That night, he'd gone to bed. He was out like a light within five minutes, and the next morning, he felt super rejuvenated and ready to face the world. He wasn't confused anymore. And, he still had his web shooters- the nanotech ones, which kinda... stored the iron spider suit in? So, he still had his suit, which was reassuring. But, in all honesty, he wished he still was delirious and oblivious to everything going on around him. Because his entire world and everything he'd known had just been turned upside-down.

His parents, Richard and Mary Parker, were both alive. Apparently he hated his aunt and uncle. What an asshole. But, that wasn't what was most surprising. No, that award went to the date. It was 2013.  _Fucking 2013_. He was  _12_. 

Shit.

* * *

Going to school a week later was one of the weirdest things he's ever done. It was like everything was the same, except, it wasn't. Flash was still an asshole. MJ was still as silent as ever, aside from the sassy comment every now and then. It was like everything from his sophomore year was still going on, albeit three years back. Ned was still his friend, and everything was right, but _he_ wasn't.  _He_ didn't fit in, because  _he_ had a completely different life. Also, a bunch of new people were trying to talk to him, which made him very uncomfortable.

But what was even weirder, was that in gym, he found out that he apparently a sports person. Meaning it was probably a good thing he kept his powers, because otherwise he would have sucked. Like, the teacher asked him to be an example of proper press-ups, and when he refused, he got a "come on, Parker, you're amazing at push-ups" in response. So, he got down and cracked them out with ease (perhaps a little  _too_ much ease, if you ask him). He also had to climb a rope, which with his sticky hands and feet, he did swiftly and with little error.

When he got home, however, he immediately fled to his room. Or, what is his room in this universe. Whatever. Peter found some random journal that appeared to be a diary, and found where the entries stopped- about a week before the current date. So, 12 year old him kept a diary. He figured out that if he arrived eight days ago, including that one off day, then in his world it was Saturday, 20 October, 2018. Well, shit! If he didn't get back soon, he'd miss Halloween! Peter laughed a little at his own joke despite knowing that he was, in fact, missing his senior year. He picked up a pen. Keeping track of himself would be a great way to get his thoughts together.

* * *

_Saturday, 20 October, 2018_

_Monday, 18 March, 2013_

 

~~_Journal thingy (is it okay if I call you Karen?),_ ~~

_Karen,_

_Today I remembered a bit more about what happened before I got here. There was an orange planet- I think we were in space. Whatever radioactive cheese thing Ned was eating had me hurtling into a flashback. So yeah, in my universe, I died on a different planet. Cool, I guess?_

_I'm still adjusting to things here. From what I've gathered, the me from before was a complete jerk. My parents ~~(gosh that's weird!)~~ get all shocked when I return any of the affection they show me. I also apparently hated Aunt May and Uncle Ben, which I find ridiculous. They're great, amazing people! Although, I'm a little overwhelmed by how much family I've suddenly got back, especially since I know nothing about them. ~~Did you know that~~ I, also, according to my parents, have a brother! His name is Noah. I think he's in my universe too, since I can very faintly recall having a brother like, when I was 5, ~~but maybe not?~~ I'm not completely sure. He has a wife and a kid and is coming to visit in about a week and a half. I wonder if in my universe he's got them, too? ~~That is, if he actually exists in my universe~~ Either way, he's coming to visit. _

_I hope I can find a way back home soon. It's not that I don't appreciate my family being alive again, because I do, I really do, it's just... Well, it's just not MY life, you know? I'm living some other Peter's life and that's not fair on either one of us. Especially if he's in my universe, where I just died on a deserted alien planet. He's without my powers, presumably, and I've got the iron spider suit so I have no clue as to whether or not he does too. ~~What if he doesn't and can't breath oh lordy that wouldn't be good~~ So yeah. This weird swap thingy must be kinda hard for him, too. Even though he's a total jerk._

_Talking about jerks! Flash is still an asshole. Actually, most of my school life is largely unchanged, all things considered. I'm still in middle school, hooray, great. But, despite that, everything's the same! Albeit some new people are talking to me and I don't know why. I'm also a sporty person apparently. Ned is still my friend, I think! I mean, he keeps sending me these confused looks but I mean, I'm confused too so maybe it's just infectious or something._

_I still feel like I'm forgetting something, or someone. Someone important. ~~I think,~~    ~~I have my doubts that,~~ I think, whoever they are, they're tied to the iron spider suit? But I don't know how._

_Come to think of it, I'm not even sure who made the suit in the first place._

_Oh! And, there's my mother calling me for dinner. Gotta blast!_

_-Peter_

* * *

Peter tossed the book to the side, webbing it to the underneath of his desk. Man, he's relieved that he still has the webshooters. He dashed down the stairs and barrelled right into his father, Richard Parker.

Now, Richard wasn't quite how someone would picture a scientist, as he was kind of bulky and definitely wasn't a twig like Peter, but he wasn't a body builder, either. So, he was unable to stay standing when all 70 lbs of spider-twink crashed into him. He was surprised by the sudden weight, but concerned nonetheless.

"Hey-ey there, Pete! Easy, tiger! Are you alright?" Richard lifted Peter off of himself. "When was the last time you went to the doctor's?"

 _That_ was not what Peter expected. Why did it matter, anyway? Instead of asking why, he questioned something else.

"Don't you count as a doctor?" Peter dusted himself off, quirking an eyebrow at his father.

"No, Peter, and you know that. You feel very underweight, though. Has your mother been feeding you enough?" Richard looked down at him, worried. Peter opened his mouth to respond to his father's question, but his mother cut him off before he could say anything.

"I should think not. If anything, I'm surprised he hasn't  _gained_ a few pounds. I swear, he's eating enough to sustain even _Captain America_!" Mary proclaimed. Peter suddenly felt nauseous, like that name meant something...  _more_ to him.

"Really? He feels light as a feather." Richard attempted to pick Peter up, and succeeded. "I should not be able to hold you up with this much ease."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a twink?" Peter suggested, but his parents just looked confused.

"A... what now?" Mary blinked, unable to figure out what this word meant. She looked it up, and read the definition out loud.

"It says here, 'a small finger-shaped sponge cake with a white synthetic cream filling'. Peter, you are not a snack?" Peter's face flushed red as a tomato, and he readied himself to protest that statement.

"I'll have you know that I am a sweet treat! I am a hecking delight to be around! Now put me down!" Peter wriggled out of his father's hold, and sprinted into the kitchen. If anyone saw him slip ( _him_ , the actual, very sticky Spider-man) on the smooth, hardwood floor, well... no one needed to know. 

Richard and Mary simply exchanged sad, baffled looks. Why and how had their son changed so much? They rarely got so much as a "hello" from him- so, a full on conversation? That was practically unheard of.

Or, at least, it used to be. What had happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((he's definitely a twink. Mary just looked at the wrong def))


	3. A Simple Truth

He honestly couldn't believe that he'd told Ned, when he had asked for him to come to his house a week later. It had just slipped out, and then he'd had to go into the whole explanation. This universe's him was such an asshole, he really couldn't believe it. Ned had been acting off all week, but he assumed that's just how this world's Ned acts. Peter couldn't see any other reason why Ned would stare at him with confusion so consistently. So, yeah, Ned asked him to come around to his place, which was fine by Peter.

"Okay, so, like, you wanna ask your parents if you can come hang at my place this afternoon, dude?" Ned inquired around his mouthful of food. Peter just looked at him like he had two heads.

"Ned. Buddy, friend. Chum. My parents d-" And everything came flooding back all of a sudden, like the dam had just been broken. He shut his mouth immediately, face flushing over his stupidity. Because, that's  _right_ , in  _this_ universe, he wasn't an orphan!

"Ah, dude? What was that?" Ned tilted his head.

"Nothing, I-I'll ask them. Yeah, my... parents. The people who gave birth to me and have raised me for the past seventeen- _twelve_ years of my life. Yes. I will call them now." Peter shoved his hand in his backpack, half-expecting his suit to be in there. Ignoring the existential dread that the realisation brought him, he reached for his phone. Perfect. Ned continued to look at him like he was crazy, but that was okay. It was fine. Everything was just wonderful. He clicked the contact this world's him had set for his mother (thank the lord 12 year old him was normal and set normal contacts, or he'd be screwed).

"H-hey, M-Mom," Peter winced, the word still feeling foreign in his mouth, "hi, yes, is it alright if I go to Ned's this afternoon? Yeah? Thanks. I lo-love you too, Mom. Bye." Peter looked at his phone for a moment before hanging up, and glanced over at his friend. Smiling, he put the device down. "We're all set to go."

"Yeah? Cool. And, uh, hey," Ned hesitated, "you alright? You've been acting kinda weird all week, which is saying something 'cause you're  _always_ weird." Peter gave a nervous chuckle.

"Y-yeah? I'm all cool. So, ah, what are we doing in math, today?" Peter bit his lip in anticipation.

"We're continuing our linear programming unit. That reminds me- did you do the homework?" Ned gazed at Peter wishfully.

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Peter took out what he presumed to be the homework sheet, willing for it to be done. However, curse his luck, it wasn't. He stared down at the easy math and scoffed. "Well, t seems I didn't, but it shouldn't be too hard."  _I thought I remembered 7th grade being harder than this!_ He snorted, immediately filling out the sheet with ease. Ned watched in wonder.

" _Dude_ , how are you understanding this? I was so stuck on it last night, and neither one of my parents knew how to do it either!" Peter raised an eyebrow. Was this the same genius friend who'd hacked into his spidey-suit? Or will hack into it? Or... would have hacked into it? _Man, time travel is strange._ Peter shook his head.

"It's really simple, actually. You just need to define your variables, first. So, here, I put  _x_ as the number of rocker chairs made, and  _y_ as the number of swivel chairs made. Our profit function is f(x,y)=12 _x_ +10 _y_ , because for every rocker chair sold you get $12, and for every swivel sold you get $10. See, really simple! And, for the restrictions, in Operation A, you know 2 _x_ +4 _y_ has to be less than or equal to 20, because it can only run for 20 hours a day and rocker chairs take two hours to make and swivel four. For Operation B, since it's limited to 15 hours a day and takes 3 hours to make a rocker chair and 1 hour to make a swivel, you know that 3 _x_ + _y_ must be less than or equal to 15. Also,  _x_ has to be greater than or equal to zero, and so does  _y_ , because you can't make a negative amount of chairs. Meaning, in order to maximise profits, you need to make four rockers and three swivels altogether a day. Make sense?" Peter pointed at his work with the pencil. This packet was like, the easiest thing he's ever done. However, Ned obviously didn't think so, though, because the quizzical look on his face told Peter that he understood none of that.

"What?" Ned just gaped at him, and Peter sighed. This was going to be fun. He explained it, slower this time.

* * *

Peter walked up to Ned's house. At least Ned's home had stayed the same, unlike his. It was nice to be in a familiar place. Grinning ear to ear, he greeted Mrs. Leeds. She smiled back at him, welcoming him back to the house.

"You know, it's been a while since we last saw you! Ned says you've been a bit distant recently." Peter looked at Ned, puzzled.

"I have?" Realising his mistake, he quickly back up. "Well, I mean, I've just been busy, that's all, but you can all be sure I'm sticking around. After all, Ned's my guy in the chair! I have no idea where I'd be without him." Mrs. Leeds seemed slightly shocked at his words, but ushered him in nonetheless. He took off his shoes, as per usual, because the Leeds household didn't do shoes inside.

"Alright- you boys go have fun. Don't forget to do your homework! I'll get you down when dinner is ready." she called after them.

Peter let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He followed Ned up the stairs, observing the difference in carpet colour in comparison to his Ned's house. All of these small changes were really quite unusual. Peter sighed. Looking back, he saw Ned's mother quickly turn her head away from him, indicating that she'd been watching. And, by the way that her face was all scrunched up, he assumed she was just as bewildered as he was at the moment. What had other Peter done to cause this?

* * *

Ned closed the door behind him, immediately sending an accusatory glare at Peter.

"What's going on with you?" Ned scowled, upset. Peter was rather stunned by his friend's angry tone, but also very confused.

"What do you mean?" Peter questioned.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Ned shouted, but brought his voice down so as to not disturb his parents. "You've been so distant lately, hanging out with a bunch of random people you don't even know. Hell, I'm pretty sure you hung out with Flash at one point! You were completely leaving me in the dust, treating me like dirt on the bottom of your shoe, and then, all of a sudden, we're besties again! And you act like you have no idea what's been going on!" Ned looked ready to cry. "Did someone in your new 'gangs' reject you? Is that why you came back? Am I just your second choice? Because it sure fucking seems like it!" 

"No! Ned, I would never-" Peter was cut off by Ned's accusations.

"Then  _why_?! Why have you been like this for the past two months, and then you just... come back! Like nothing even happened! Why are you acting like you don't know what you did?!" The tears he'd been holding in finally made their way down Ned's face.

"Because I  _don't_ , Ned! You have no idea just how much I don't know! I don't understand, and boy howdy I sure wish I did, but it's 2013 and I can't remember  _anything_!" Peter shouted, crying tears of his own. "All I know is that I woke up in a house I don't recall ever living in, and my parents who have been dead for  _years_ are somehow magically alive, and I'm  _12_ , which, by the way, isn't how old I'm supposed to be, and I'm pretty sure I  _died_ , I've only been here for two weeks and things have been so weird, and the me that everyone else remembers sounds like such a huge fucking  _jerk_ , and I don't know what to do! I don't know how to live a life that isn't _mine_!" Peter sobbed. The past week had been so hard and confusing. "I just don't know what to do."

Ned was speechless. Peter's outburst had rendered him unable to respond, and Peter just continued to let the tears stream down his face.

Regain his confidence, Ned walked over to Peter and put a hand on his shoulder. He led Peter to the bed, and they sat down.

"Hey, buddy... As much as I didn't really understand most of what you just said, I'm sorry for lashing out at you. And, uh, you're right. The you that everybody remembers is kinda a jerk. But, I mean, ah... Well, this is a bit weird. I mean, well,  _really_ weird, but this past week has been really great. So, I know that  _you_ aren't a jerk, you just... Ahm..." Ned trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Instead, he grabbed a tissue box for Peter to use instead. Sniffling, Peter muttered a thank you, buried his face into one of the tissues, and blew his nose. They sat there for a few minute before Ned piped up again.

"So, you, uh, wanna tell me what's been going on? You don't need to leave anything out, you kinda spilt all of the major beans already, so..."

"Yeah, I guess I should... So, I'm gonna refer to this as an alternate universe, because that's the most reasonable explanation, okay...?" Peter stated carefully.

"Yeah, that's cool. Fine by me. Although, you may wanna explain how that happened." responded Ned, chill despite the circumstances.

"Okay, so. In my universe, I'm an orphan. My parents died when I was four, so you can imagine what a shock it was to see them. I've lived with my Aunt May and Uncle Ben for most of my life, although, I've been told that in this universe I hated them for some reason. Which, I honestly can't imagine. They're such amazing people. So, yeah. My, uh, Uncle Ben died a few years back, for me, at least. He bled out in my arms... It was..." Peter shook his head, moving on. "You've been my best friend since I was seven, and nothing has been able to tear us apart. Not even bullies or social standards. You're the only person in our school that I can be  _me_ around, and not have to worry about being judged. I mean, most of the people in school and stuff have been left largely unchanged. Flash is still an asshole in my universe, MJ is still a sassy, intelligent little hecker."

"Wait, hold on. Who's MJ?" Ned asked. He seemed to be taking this really well.

"Michelle Jones. You and I are kinds friends with her, but it's really hard to tell. I mean, it's Michelle. So, school wasn't all that difficult to deal with, albeit still quite stressful. As for how and why I'm here, I'm confused about that part, too. As I said, I very vaguely remember dying. There was definitely other people there, too. There was a doctor, a mantis lady, I think, and a blue guy? I'm not sure, it's all really fuzzy. There was also this other dude named Peter who I think had just lost someone close to him. Which, I mean, mood." Peter pondered for a moment, before Ned cut in.

"Mantis lady and blue guy?" Ned made a face.

"Oh, yeah, I'm pretty sure we were in space. I think I remember being on a very orange planet. Though, now I say it out loud, it sounds like one big fever dream. There was definitely someone else there, too..." Peter scrunched up his nose, lost in thought.

"You were in space." Ned deadpanned, beginning to doubt everything that Peter was saying. He squinted, angry feelings returning.

"Yeah. I think. As I said, I really can't remember." Peter rubbed the back of his neck, unaware that Ned was fuming in response to his statement.

Then, all of a sudden, Ned stood up, irate. Peter could only stare at him with befuddlement as to why his friend was reacting so badly. All was confirmed, however, when Ned opened his mouth and spoke.

"Have you been lying this whole time, dude? What the fuck, asshole! How could you toy with me like that?!"

Peter also stood up, frantic. "No, Ned, you've got it all wrong! I-"

"No! I don't wanna hear it, Peter. And here I thought that maybe your crazy-ass explanation was maybe true, but now you're talking about space and aliens? Oh, oh, let me guess, in your 'universe', you're a superhero, too!"

"Ned, please listen-"

"Shut up!" Ned turned to leave, when Peter made an executive decision. He jumped and latched onto the ceiling. Surely this would convince him...? 

"I'm  _not_ lying!" Peter shouted, which caused Ned to whip back around to berate him. The argument never came, however, as Ned stopped dead in his tracks and saw Peter stood, in his socks, on his bedroom  _ceiling_.

"What the fuck." Ned murmured, completely dumbstruck.

"Yeah. That's understandable." Peter replied. This was going to be a long talk.


	4. Well, As It Turns Out...

Peter fiddled with his fingers, still hanging from the ceiling. Ned re-shut the door behind him, and placed his fingers on his temples.

"What the fuck." he whispered, a little louder. Peter nodded, and gave Ned a nervous smile.

"Yeah... the May in my universe reacted that way, too. Albeit a bit angrier." Peter chuckled lightly, remembering the look on his beloved aunt's face. "I was grounded for, like, ever."

"What the  _fuck_." Ned looked up at Peter, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Peter stood stock-still, waiting for Ned to fully take in what was happening. That, of course, was suddenly interrupted when Ned's mother burst into the room, the door flying right open. Peter jumped in surprise just a second before (thank god for his spidey-sense), and fell to the floor below. All Ned's mother saw was a falling Peter and a now crumpled up ball of pure teenage angst. Peter groaned, picking himself up and dusting himself off.

"What was all that racket? I have half a mind to tell you just how ridiculously thin these walls and floors are, you know!" she scolded, upset. "I was trying to have a nice conversation with your father, Ned, who's just come home from a week-long trip, and suddenly there's all this shouting coming from upstairs!"

"Mrs. Leeds, we were- we were simply arguing over who shot who first in Star Wars again, it's nothing to- to worry about. I said that I _saw_ Han bring out the gun and pull the trigger on-screen first and Ned acc-accused me of lying. That-that's all, really!" Peter rubbed the back of his neck, sore. "Sorry for making so much, uh, noise."

Mrs. Leeds opened her mouth to say something when Ned's father walked in, immediately surprised at the sight of Peter.

"Oh, Parker? It's, ah, been a while." He held his hand out, and Peter quickly took it. "Wow, that's quite a grip you've accumulated there. You've sure gotten stronger since I last saw you."

"It-it's nothing, really. So, um, how have- how have you been, lately?" Peter rocked back and forth on his feet, awaiting an answer. It never came, because a doorbell rang out and both of the adults told them that they needed to go answer that and went downstairs. Peter and Ned looked at each other, and shut the door again.

* * *

"Okay okay okay okay, a  _what_ spider bit you? Where, even?" Ned incredulously asked, his hands on his hips.

"You know that trip to Oscorp that all 9th graders take? Yeah? Well, a genetically engineered spider escaped and bit me, and after a week of being sick I wake up like this." Peter sighed. Boy, was this  _fun_.

"So. You have spider powers. And you're in 9th grade?" Ned tilted his head, confused?

"Ah, no, I'm uhm, not in 9th grade. I'm a- well, I would be, or, uh, _should_ be a senior. This happened three years ago." Peter explained. Ned clearly didn't want to accept this as the truth, but he had to, as it was the only thing that explained all of the weird stuff going on with Peter.

"Okay, so, say I believe you. What are you going to do now?" Ned leaned on the door, staring at Peter expectantly.

"I don't know. I can't just call up Mr--." Peter cut himself off abruptly. 

"Mr. ... who?"

"I don't know.  _Why don't I know_? Mr. who, Mr. who, Mr.  _who_? How can I forget a whole person? How does that even happen? Who's name was I just about to say?" Peter held his head for a moment. "Oh, god, Ned, what was his  _name_? I know who he is, I think I can just about  _see_ him in my head, why can't I remember his name? It's like my mind just threw out his name, like in that episode of Spongebob! Mr--- Mr.  _Something_ , god, I can't--"

"Peter, calm down. You're panicking. Look at me, breathe, please. Just- in, one, two, three, four- out, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Keep going, come on. You got this." Ned guided Peter, hoping that maybe what little knowledge he had on calming someone would help. It just had to, right?

* * *

Nicole Leeds sighed at the noise coming from upstairs again, exasperated. If all of the Parkers were this loud now, she would regret inviting Mary and Richard to dinner that night. Hopefully this wasn't a new development all of them had made. Of course, after Peter stopped hanging out with Ned, she'd not really been in contact with the Parkers at all (and she wasn't exactly happy with the way Peter had treated her son), so it would hopefully be nice to see them again. 

Mrs. Leeds opened the door to her guests. 

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Parker. Long time no see, huh?" She smiled at the two and welcomed them in. Hopefully the boys wouldn't mind the new plans.

"Hello, Nicole. And, yes, you're right. It's been much too long. How's it been for you and Carl?" Richard shut the door behind him.

"Oh, it has been okay, I suppose. Carl's still working upstate, so he's away most of the week. But, hey, it keeps the roof over our heads and food on the table." Nicole led Peter's parents into the dining room. Taking a breath, she continued, "I've not, uh, seen Peter for a while. You know why?"

Mary and Richard tensed at the question, and they shared an uneasy look. "We... don't know. He was getting further and further away- some days we wouldn't even talk to him, but... well, one day he sort of just, woke up and was ready to socialise with us again. I'm not complaining, but we don't really know what happened." Mary looked down at the chair she had just put her jacket on the back of. "He's been acting really weird, too. Not just in the completely different personality department."

Nicole looked surprised. She knew from Ned that Peter had suddenly got a lot more open and friendly, but she had assumed that his parents had given him a long, hard talk about his behaviour. Carl raised his eyebrow, incredulous.

"Is that so? Weird how?" Carl cocked his head a little.

"I mean, for example, from what we have seen, he's been reacting to things before just they happen..." Mary shook her head. "It sounds crazy when I say it out loud, but the other day when we were outside he just randomly stepped to the side, and a branch hit the ground where he'd been just a second before. Also, Richard tossed a spoon at him because he needed one, and Peter caught it without even looking up."

Carl expressed something akin to shock, mouth agape. "What?"

"It's really strange, but we just don't know how to talk to him about it." Mary held Richard's arm and sat down.

Nicole decided to call the boys down before things got awkward.

* * *

Peter's breathing evened out, his eyes locked with Ned's. When he was totally calmed down, he spoke.

"Sorry for, uh, panicking. I just got sorta scared there. Who-whoever I forgot is... kinda important." Peter stuttered out and forced a smile. Ned let go of Peter, allowing him to move freely again.

"It's okay dude. I'm just kinda freaked out by everything, you know?" Ned stared at Peter. "Though, all of this would explain why you haven't been wearing your glasses."

Peter chuckled, and then froze. Ned noticed and tilted his head in response.

"What's wrong?" Ned asked.

"My parents are here. Your mom's leading them into the dining room." Peter looked at Ned. "I think your mom may have invited them over."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. How can you tell?" Ned spluttered, puzzled. Peter just tapped his ears.

"I can hear them, Ned. I think your mom's about to call-"

" _Dinner!_ " Nicole shouted from downstairs, cutting Peter off..

"-us down for dinner. Yeah, we should get down there." Peter opened Ned's door. "Sorry for dragging you into all of my dumb problems."

 


	5. Miles

Mary gave a soft, sad sigh as she watched her son wash the dishes, dancing along to what he was listening to. She frowned, because whoever this person in her kitchen was that was singing the lyrics to Mother Mother's "Miles" wasn't her son. He seemed to have all of Peter's ticks and he seems to fidget just like he did, but there was no way that this could be her son. It just wasn't possible. 

She had originally thought that maybe it was because he had hit his head, but had quickly dismissed the thought. Peter was perfectly fine, his entire personality had just...  _changed_. The basis of his whole thought process was the same, but the endpoint of the way he interpreted things was different. His reactions were not the same as her Peter's. She knew her husband had noticed it too because even Richard was hesitant to say that this person was their son. Mary looked at his slow, delicate movements as he danced around the kitchen. Whoever this was seemed to be lighter on their feet, too. Peter had the grace of a giant panda. This person seemed clumsy also, but much more coordinated and softer in his movements.

Mary wondered what had happened to her son. Don't get her wrong, she liked this Peter! She really did, and part of her wished that her Peter was like this, but she couldn't deny that something deep and foundational had changed about him. She couldn't deny that  _this was not Peter_. 

She stepped forward, and greeted the imposter.

* * *

Peter spun around the kitchen, singing his heart out. He had a towel in one hand and a glass in the other, drying the cup with joy. He had never minded doing the dishes, since he knew it helped May, so he decided that he might as well make it fun.

"My-my-my-my-my-my my lover, my maker, my breeaaker, take me by the hand~"

Peter grinned, and placed the now dry glass into the cupboard. He picked up a plate from the side, wincing slightly at the old, wet food that touched his hands, and dunked it into the soapy water. He took the sponge, and scrubbed away at the greasy remains stuck to the plate.

"We could, go walking, for miiiles, once we reach the sand, the sand~"

He let himself get wrapped up in the song, taking him away from his current predicament. He lifted the plate from the water, and put the sponge down. He grabbed a towel, and began to wipe the plate dry.

"We gonna make it, oooh we gonna make it~!"

Peter smiled as he rubbed the warm china with the towel, and placed it in a different cupboard. Peter subconsciously noted that his mother was standing, watching him.

"We gonna take it, oooh we gonna take it eeasyyy, once we leave the ci-taay~"

His heightened senses alerted him of movement from the woman, and he tried not to show he noticed the lady sneaking around him. When she spoke, he pretended to be surprised and turned off the music.

"Hey, m-mom. What's up?" Peter's eye crinkled at the edges as he smiled.

"Hey, sweetie. We need to talk." Mary took the towel from Peter's hand, putting it on the side. She then grasped his hand and led him into the living room. He sat down with her on the sofa, confused. She inhaled sharply.

"I know you're not Peter." she said flatly. Peter's eyes widened with shock. He'd been expecting a lot of things, but not this.

"Wha-what??" Peter tilted his head, responding a little too fast. "What are you talking about? O-of course I'm Peter!"

"No, you're not. I know for a fact my son does not act the way you do. He would never, in a million years, do the dishes voluntarily." Mary sighed. "Please, don't try to refute it, bec-"

"No no no no no, that's where you're wr-wrong, bec-because I  _am_ Peter, just-just n-not the..." He shut his eyes and steadied himself. "Just not the Peter you know."

Peter waited for a response that never came. He opened his eyes hesitantly, and tensed when he saw the devastated look on his mother's face. Not able to bring himself to reassure her, he just grasped her cold, shaking hands in his, and looked at the floor. A few tears slipped out of Mary's face. She sniffled, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I... I knew it was true, but... hearing it confirmed, hearing it out loud, I just..." She broke into a sob. Peter leaned forward and embraced her.

"I know. I'm sorry that I'm not him." Peter whispered, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Breaking away, he took in the sight before him and sighed in defeat. "I... I don't know how to fix it. Trust me, I've-I've been trying. But because it was- because it was unintentional, I don't know if there's a way to reverse this."

Mary simply nodded, and wiped her face. "It's not your fault. I know it's not. This is just really hard."

"That's okay. It would be kinda weird if-if it wasn't" Peter gave a nervous chuckle, and Mary did so too.

* * *

 

She didn't know what to do. Sure, she knew that this wasn't her Peter, she'd known for a while, but...

_"Just not the Peter you know."_

Just hearing the truth come out of his mouth, hearing the fact she was  _right_ when she'd been so desperately hoping that she wasn't... It was hard. It was really hard to fully grasp. And when the imposter told her that he didn't know how to fix it, and that he'd been trying, well... it just broke her heart even more. She wished that maybe this Peter would have known what they could do, but he didn't.

So, she had stood up. Told 'Peter' that they'd both have to tell Richard  _ ~~your father~~_ about what had happened. He'd just said _"yeah, that makes sense,"_ and left the room. Part of her didn't want to break the news to her husband, but she knew she had to. It was a bit of an obligation.

* * *

Peter retreated to 'his' room and took out the journal.

 

_Tuesday, 23 October, 2018_

_Thursday, 21 March, 2013_

 

_Karen,_

_Today sucked. Like, royally. So. Many. Conversations to be had. Mary found out about the whole not me thing. I mean, given that she's ~~my~~ ~~other Peter's~~ my mother, it probably wasn't that hard. Come on, I act totally different._

_But she got so upset. I know it's hard, ~~espesiall~~ especially when neither of us know what to do, I just feel so bad! She also wants to tell ~~Richard~~ my dad, which I am all for!! Really. I just hate to be the cause of all this pain. I'm also all too aware that with them knowing means I have to tell them about dying, and ~~Tati~~   ~~something beginning with t~~   ~~why can't i remember?~~  the orange planet, Mr. someone, all the things I can't remember, my powers; it's gonna be a huge mess. I just wish I don't have to. Hell, I wish I hadn't died! Then I wouldn't be in this mess. I wish that whats-his-face hadn't killed me. I wish I remembered more! There's so many names that I have on the tip of my tongue but I ultimately can't remember what they are. Like when you forget a word. Like when Thor forgot the word for ~~caracel~~ ~~carucel~~ ~~carosel~~ carousel and said horse tornado! That was funny. I... I think. I don't know what his name was. Thor obviously can't be right, no matter how much I feels like it is- Norse gods don't exist! Haha. Gotta say, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Weirder things have happened to me._

_I wanna go home. I want to be back in the apartment. I want to snuggle in my bed, and feel cozy in my slightly-too-small room. I want to be home. ~~I want to go back to the~~ I don't want to be here in this universe anymore. I'm alone, no matter how many people know, and I want my memories back. I want to know who Mr. ___ is. I want to know who the fresh heck "captain America" is. Because that name feels important but I don't know why._

_Anywho, I'm terrified. I don't want to tell Richard. I don't want to mess things up further. I'm so scared and ~~I dont want to go mr sta~~ I want to go home._

_Thanks for everything, Kar._

_-Peter_

* * *

 "Wh-what?" Richard looked from Peter to Mary, momentarily stunned. "You're kidding, right? This is all some joke revolving around Peter's sudden change in behaviour, right?" 

"No, it's not. I'm sorry, honey, it's true." Mary struggled to keep back tears, and Peter just continued to look at his food. Richard turned to Peter.

"You're not Peter?"

"Well, no, I am, I-I'm just not-just not, y'know,  _your_ Peter." Peter fidgeted with his thumbs under the table. "If it's any consolation, I'm really sorry."

Richard was incredulous. "How? How did this happen?"

"We don't know." Mary stated.

"Well, what's the last thing he remembers?" Richard pointed an accusatory finger at Peter. His stern expression burned in Peter's brain, and Peter couldn't help but wonder why he was so upset at him, of all people.

"I, uh, I died. I think. I mean, it wasn't a usual death. I kinda turned to dust, uh, because... because someone... I remember he had a really ugly chin but I can't..." Peter held his head. "I can't remember."

Richard and Mary looked at him with surprise.

"You didn't mention that you died... Did it... hurt? Was it quick?" Mary's eyebrows furrowed with concern. Peter just looked at them with an ' _are you kidding me_ ' face.

"I _died_. And it took long enough for me to know _how_ I died. Of course it hurt." Peter scowled, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.

"Well, what else? Tell us more about you and your life." Richard stared at Peter with interest. Peter sighed.

"Well, you guys died in a plane crash when I was four. So, uh, it was rather surprising to see you very much alive. I went to live with Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Being the orphan I was, I was kinda shy and didn't make very many friends. I mean, I made one when... but he doesn't count. Ned was my first real friend. Apparently this me hasn't been hanging out with Ned recently which I don't really understand. But anyway, things were pretty smooth sailing for a while, until... Well, about 3 or 4 years ago, Ben died. Shot during an armed robbery. So, since then, it's just been May and I against the world. Things looked up after a while. And then, well, I... Ha, I think, I think there was another alien attack? I'm not entirely sure. I think I somehow ended up..." 

Peter paused, remembering how Ned had reacted when Peter had said he had been in space.

"Well, yeah, anyway. I died."

Richard inhaled and turned to his wife, then to Peter again.

"You're leaving something out. I get you can't remember anything, but you're deliberately not telling us something." Richard glared at Peter.

"Ah, ha, about that," Peter began to sweat, "just before Ben died, I went on a field trip to Oscorp, and, uh, well, you know how they do a lot of biological experiments there? I mean, of course you do, you work there, but, ahm."

Richard gestured for Peter to continue as he scrutinised Peter's nervousness.

"Uhm, well, one of the- of the experimental spiders escaped and, well, m-maybe, it uh, it kind of, ah." Peter trailed off. Despite Mary holding onto his arm as comfort, Richard stood up with impatience.

"Well, out with it, boy!"

"ItkindasortabitmeandnowIcandoabunchofreallyfreakystuff!" Peter covered his head. Silence drew out, becoming thicker as the seconds ticked on. Both Mary and Richard were frozen, shell-shocked. After a long moment, Richard recollected himself.

"Ex-excuse me?" Richard spluttered out.

"I ca-can do a lot of  _really_ weird shi-stuff." Peter shook in his seat, terrified. He awaited their responses. Mary ushered her husband to sit back down, and the man hesitantly complied. Then, she spoke.

"Can you show us? The weird stuff, I mean." she breathed, somewhat scared of what was to come next. Peter stood up and took in a deep breath. Shutting his eyes, he pleaded.

"Please don't freak out. When May found out she freaked and when other people freak out  _I_ freak out and I don't want that and-"

"Just go ahead sweetie. It's fine." Mary shakily smiled. Peter jumped onto the ceiling and stuck. It was easier than demonstrating any of his other powers. He looked at the floor (ceiling), shuffling his feet with anxiety. His parents simply kept staring, mouths agape. Peter noticed and did jazz hands.

"H-how- why, wha-what-wh-wh-" Richard stammered. "H-how are-are you  _doing_ th-that?"

"Genetically modified spider bit me." Peter shrugged. "This isn't-this isn't a problem, right? I mean, once we get your Peter back this will all be gone! Heh..."

"Jesus fucking Christ, I need to take a moment to process. Shit..." 

"Sorry." Peter let himself back onto the floor and backed away. "I'll... go now."

"Stop apologising. It's not your fault. Besides, we're scientists, we'll figure this out. It's okay. We'll get you home and we'll bring our Peter back." Mary, ever the voice of reason, spoke slowly and steadily, as if she were trying to convince herself as well.

Peter looked up and met Mary's eyes. She smiled.

"We can do this."


End file.
